Marcia Ann Gillespie was my dear friend for 40 years, but long before that, she was my inspiration.
She is rightly remembered as an influential political and social critic, a women’s and civil rights advocate, and the provocative editor-in-chief of Essence and Ms. magazines. To me, Marcia was all of that and—as she would say—a bag of chips.
In 1970, when Marcia joined Essence magazine as managing editor, I was an undergraduate at the University of Missouri in Columbia. At the time, Black students were an unwelcome bit of chocolate in a very large vat of vanilla. In response, we organized the Legion of Black Collegians. Our goal was to compel the university to hire Black faculty, introduce courses addressing the historical and contemporary lives and concerns of Black people, and confront the racism and bigotry we frequently experienced from both teachers and fellow students.
We raised our fists, marched and chanted, but many of us had not yet learned how to apply “I’m Black and I’m Proud” to ourselves as women. Then came Marcia Ann Gillespie and Essence magazine.